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June 10, 2014|By Desiree Stennett, Orlando Sentinel

The Poinciana man accused of harassing a Muslim mother and her children during a road rage incident will not face charges, prosecutors have decided.

Criminal charges against Charles Lundquist, 21, were dropped "due to insufficient evidence," said Noel Piros, spokeswoman for the Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office.

But Wayne Escudero, the Osceola deputy who responded to the Oct. 25 incident, was suspended without pay after a Sheriff's Office internal investigation found that his response to the complaint against Lundquist was "unsatisfactory," according to a recently released report.

Escudero was suspended for two weeks in April and is now back on duty.

"I feel like my case has not been a priority from the beginning," said road-rage victim, Rose Garcia-Corrigan, 26.

Garcia-Corrigan called the authorities last year and reported she was being repeatedly run off the road by the driver of a black pickup truck.

According to internal investigation, Garcia-Corrigan met Escudero at a Walgreens near Cypress Parkway after the driver of a pickup finally stopped following her.

As Escudero was pulling into the parking lot, Garcia-Corrigan said she saw the deputy drive past Lundquist. She said when she told Escudero the suspect was still in the area, he was dismissive.

"Deputy Escudero did not make any attempt to contact the suspect when pointed out to him by the complainant," the internal investigation said. "The deputy advised there was nothing he could do for her and she should just go home."

Escudero searched his computer for the license plate number the victim provided but found no record so "there was insufficient evidence on locating the other vehicle," investigators found. Escudero never filed a report.

In an investigative report another deputy submitted after the incident, the officer wrote that Lundquist admitted following Garcia-Corrigan's sedan for several miles then repeatedly cutting in front of her and hitting the brakes. He said he did it because he was "irritated" with her driving.

Garcia-Corrigan said the road rage escalated after Lundquist noticed she was wearing a religious head scarf. She said he put his shirt over his head to mock her head covering.

Garcia-Corrigan claims she was the victim of a hate crime because she's Muslim, but deputies determined there wasn't enough evidence to treat the incident as a hate crime.

Garcia-Corrigan, whose two children were in the back seat, said her oldest daughter at first had frequent nightmares following the incident.

The dreams are sporadic now, but the 5-year-old still gets anxious when she sees a black pickup truck, her mother said.

"She asks me, 'Mommy, is that the man? Is he coming after us?' I don't know what to say to her," said Garcia-Corrigan, who has since moved from Poinciana to Kissimmee.

Neither Lundquist nor Escudero could be reached for comment.

Records show that Escudero, a 24-year Sheriff's Office employee, has been disciplined five times in the last five years for missing court hearings and a random drug screening, improperly documenting a domestic violence investigation and not securing a vehicle for forensic processing.

His last three annual reviews found that he "requires improvement" because of unsatisfactory work performance.

In his most recent review completed on April 6, Escudero's supervisor noted he needs to be monitored "more closely than other deputies on the squad" and is no longer allowed to close a call for service without approval.

"Regarding these incidents, we conducted thorough and complete investigations," said Twis Lizasuain, OCSO spokeswoman. "Based on the findings, he was appropriately disciplined."